The Dark Side of Corporate Feminism: Who Really Won?

In this episode of Business Talk, we sit down with Dr. Allison Elias, Assistant Professor of Business Administration at the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business, to unpack one of the most thought-provoking questions in the history of women and work: did corporate America's embrace of feminism truly liberate women, or did it quietly divide them? Drawing from her acclaimed book, The Rise of Corporate Feminism: Women in the American Office, 1960–1990, named a Best Summer Book of 2023 by the Financial Times and shortlisted for the prestigious Aggie Prize from the Business History Conference, Dr. Elias traces how the feminist movement in workplaces shifted from a collective struggle for all women workers to a pathway designed primarily for a select few. From the rise and fracture of the 9 to 5 labor movement to the unintended consequences of meritocracy, she reveals how the same forces that opened boardroom doors for educated women effectively closed them for clerical workers, entrenching class-based inequality in ways we are still grappling with today. This podcast is brought to you by Global Management Consultancy. Disclaimer: 1. The background music incorporated in this video is the intellectual property of its respective developer and is protected under applicable copyright laws. Notwithstanding that it is a free-to-use version, Business Talk, Global Management Consultancy, and Deepak Bhatt do not own, and expressly do not claim, any rights, title, or interest in or to this music. 2. Dr. Allison Elias shared key insights from her book, “The Rise of Corporate Feminism: Women in the American Office, 1960-1990”, in an engaging episode of the Business Talk podcast. The uploaded video contains copyrighted content, so changing any graphics, music, or on-screen appearance of the author or host is not allowed.